mazuka

We have come upon the good fortune of being hooked up with great accomodations in Ferrera for our trip to Italy this July/August through a friend. We will have 17 or 18 days in Italy. Since now I need to re-think our itinerary, I need to know what places are easy to reach as day trips from Ferrera ?

Is it worth it for us to rent a car for travel during part of our stay or are the trains/buses convenient enough from Ferrera?

I do plan to visit Rome for 4 days at either the beginning or end of our trip. We will fly in to Venice and out from Rome or vice-a-versa. Oh, and this is our 1st trip to Italy.

Thanks for your input. It is greatly appreciated.

ellenem

Do you mean Ferrara? If so, two possible daytrips would be Bologna and Ravenna.

Eloise

Padua (Padova) is less than an hour away by direct train from Ferrara.

smalti

Hi, Mazuka!

Ravenna, Mantua, and Parma are all day-trip distance from Ferrara. Mantua is historically interesting, and Parma has fantastic food, but Ravenna would be my choice for a day trip, hands down, because it contains some of the most wondrous sights imaginable: It holds some of the best (and most famous) Byzantine-era mosaics in the world.

My husband and I made a day trip to Ravenna from Venice last spring, and the sight of those mosaics was stunning and unforgettable. We agreed it was the best day trip we had ever made. I wrote up a trip report, and will give you the address if I can find it.

Since we've never had a trip based in Ferrara. I can't tell you about the trains firsthand, but they are probably quite convenient.

Have a wonderful trip!

smalti

Nuts! I can't figure out how to give you my Ravenna trip report address. Oh, well. If you'd like to read it, then hit my name on this message (smalti), and when my messages come up, go to #29 or so ("Europe: Trip Report--Short Stay in Venice, with a Day in Ravenna&quot and hit it. My trip report will come up, and the Ravenna report is Day 2 of the trip.

I hope your first trip to Italy is a wonderful one, and is followed by many more!

mazuka

Yes, Ferrara is correct. Would you suggest Venice as a day trip from Ferrara or is it better to stay a night or 2 in Venice?

Statia

Personally I would stay a couple of nights in Venice, if you can swing it. The daytime Venice and the nighttime Venice are totally different once the daytrippers have left.